In a CNBC interview, Warren Buffett described Bill Gates’s friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as "distasteful" and admitted to making similar mistakes in choosing associates.

Buffett’s decision to exclude the Gates Foundation from his annual share donation followed new DOJ revelations linking Gates to Epstein. He said he had "re‑evaluated my whole situation" and would let his children and a new foundation named after his late wife decide how to give away his money.

The 96‑year‑old billionaire noted that he has hired and befriended many people who later proved untrustworthy. He added, "I’ve made mistakes in hiring all kinds of people or choosing friends and then finding out later one way or another they weren’t what I thought they were."

Buffett plans to hand his remaining Berkshire Hathaway stake to four family‑linked foundations within eight years, a move that mirrors his earlier pledge to the Gates Foundation and his broader philanthropic strategy.